if we didn't know they were happy to see us we might be a little worried because people here used to practice cannibalism. after a greeting ceremony, which includes locals dressed up as tree kangaroos, we head into a forest that looks like a movie set. our guide is lisa dabek who dedicated her life to saving the tree kangaroo. >> just be really careful. there's hoes. >> reporter: she first saw these animals 20 years ago at a zoo in the u.s. >> so i fell in love with them then, plus, they're beautiful and the more i learned about them, the more i just knew that i wanted to help them. >> reporter: is it true that you went eight years without seeing one in the wild? >> yeah. >> reporter: but finally just a few years ago dabek and her team managed to get radio collars on tree roos. >> it's so hard to find them. >> reporter: she's staring right at us. >> yeah. good. she's saying, hi, dan. >> okay, okay. there she goes. >> reporter: that's when the guy up in the tree gets close enough for her to jump. once she's on the ground, the men rush in to grab her by the tail. >> easy, easy. easy. >